Netflix Has Launched A Speed Test App For iOS And Android

If you’re like me or the rest of the population on this planet, you were binge watching “Stranger Things” on Netflix today. It’s such an addicting show and just 8 episodes. A day well spent if you ask me. Netflix has done a great job producing winners like this for the past 4 years. And it is raking it in by the bundle. That’s why when you don’t have enough juice in your internet router to buffer an episode, Netflix is making it, its business to help you find out. It’s called the FAST Speed Test App.

Netflix has been able to deliver damn good quality video at a mere 2 Mbps connection in my experience. However that might not be the case everywhere since it varies every where. Around the world there are dead zones and weak internet connections and low bandwidth which is why Netflix has launched an app to test it. The FAST Speed Test App is available on iOS and Android for free. It works just like fast.com. It just tests your internet speed as accurately as it can.

The app works by downloading 25 MB video files in parallel streams, like Netflix itself, and measuring the speed of the downloads.

Of course this is no revolution, speedtest.net has been serving this purpose for years and provides a more detailed analysis of the internet connection. In fact, Netflix has pointed to the site for users that are willing to know more about their ISP or even for a second opinion.

The Future of Video Streaming

Netflix minted $6.78 billion last year alone and is expanding in to territory that it has pioneered. Shows like House of Cards and Daredevil and more recently, Stranger Things have cemented its place in the Television world. No longer is it the last resort of those rejected by TV networks. Even films are being made by Netflix. The service now has 83 million subscribers worldwide, 47 million residing in the US alone. That’s quite a market to tap.

Others have tried like Amazon Video but have fallen short. Netflix just works. It’s like comparing a Marvel film to a DC film today; the latter is obviously not the same as the former.

Netflix was just introduced to the world this year; more specifically to over a 120 countries simultaneously. It hasn’t even fully tapped in to the vast majority of people that are craving great content. And mostly that is because they have poor internet services. They’re forced to go with the only options they have like basic cable or the satellite dish. And then there are dead zones that are completely bereft of internet and any other forms of digital entertainment.

Efforts like the FAST undersea cable and Project Loon by Google as well as Aquila, Facebook’s solar powered internet providing drone, are projects that will eventually deliver an internet blanket that covers the world. Then, Netflix will be accessible to everyone. And, provided it keeps going the way it is, the profits will come in without fail.